Mobile machine with an elevatable and travelling carrier

ABSTRACT

A mobile machine of the kind having an elevatable and travelling load-supporting carrier comprising, a supporting base structure rotatable about a vertical axis, an articulated structure of pivotally interconnected booms having horizontal pivots and including a main boom and at least one auxiliary boom which main boom is pivotally supported by a horizontal pivot member mounted to a part of the supporting base structure and which one auxiliary boom or the auxiliary boom furthermost from the main boom is pivotally connected at its end remote from the boom interconnecting pivot to the load-supporting carrier.

United States Patent Inventor Denis Henry Ashworth Woodsetton, near Dudley, England Appl. No. 800,855

Filed Feb. 20, 1969 Patented Sept. 28, 1971 Assignee Simon Engineering Dudley Limited Dudley, England Priority Feb. 23, 1968 Great Britain 8823/68 MOBILE MACHINE WITH AN ELEVATABLE AND TRAVELLING CARRIER 10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 182/141, 182/2 Int. Cl 1366i 1 1/04 Field of Search 182/2, 141, 148

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Primary ExaminerReinaldo P. Machado Attorney-Norris & Bateman ABSTRACT: A mobile machine of the kind having an elevatable and travelling load-supporting carrier comprising, a supporting base structure rotatable about a vertical axis, an articulated structure of pivotally interconnected booms having horizontal pivots and including a main boom and at least one auxiliary boom which main boom is pivotally supported by a horizontal pivot member mounted to a part of the supporting base structure and which one auxiliary boom or the auxiliary boom furthermost from the main boom is pivotally connected at its end remote from the boom interconnecting pivot to the load-supporting carrier.

0 Ill sum 1 or 3 ATENTED SEP28 l97l INVBN'I'OR.

WNIS H. ASIMORTH y W (5mm HUT/mew PATENTEU SEP28 an SHEET 2 0F 3 omus n. ASHWORTH- 13; w n QOEYWM PATENTEU SEP28 197] SHEET 3 [IF 3 maul INVBNTOR MOBILE MACHINE WITH AN ELEVATABLE AND TRAVELLING CARRIER This invention relates to mobile machines of the kind having an elevatable and travelling loadsupporting carrier comprising, a supporting base structure rotatable about a vertical axis, an articulated structure of pivotally interconnected booms having horizontal pivots and including a main boom and at least one auxiliary boom which main boom is pivotally supported by a horizontal pivot member mounted to a part of the supporting base structure and which one auxiliary boom or the auxiliary boom furthermost from the main boom is pivotally connected at its end remote from the boom interconnecting pivot to the load-supporting carrier, selectively operable means for rotating the supporting base structure about its vertical axis and angularly moving the main boom about its pivot relative to the base structure and for angularly moving the or each auxiliary boom about its pivot relatively to the boom to which it is pivotally interconnected, control means upon the said carrier for the said selectively operated means, and means for maintaining the carrier always in a horizontal position.

Such a machine is referred to hereinafter as a mobile machine of the kind referred to."

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of such machine.

According to the invention, there is provided a mobile machine of the kind referred to, wherein the supporting base structure is adapted to be carried towards the rear of a transporting vehicle so that the main boom of the articulated structure of pivotally interconnected booms when in a retracted condition lies generally horizontally towards the front of the vehicle, and the said articulated structure is arranged in such a manner that the or the furthermost auxiliary boom has an angular movement relative to its adjacent boom of approximately 180 or more.

Conveniently the horizontal pivot connecting the main boom to the base structure is at a higher level than the roof of the cabin for the driver of the vehicle.

When in the fully retracted condition, the or the furthermost auxiliary boom preferably lies to the side of and generally parallel to the adjacent boom to which it is pivotally connected and from that position may be caused to move angularly in a plane parallel to the plane of angular movement of the said adjacent boom relative to the supporting base structure so as to provide that the said auxiliary boom may have a total angle of swing of 360 relative to the said adjacent boom.

The means for angularly moving the or the furthermost auxiliary boom about its pivot relative to the adjacent boom to which it is connected may engage the said auxiliary boom through the intermediary of indexing means whereby the arc of angular movement of the auxiliary boom determined by the said means can be displaced relative to the said adjacent boom in predetermined increments.

Conveniently the lengths of the main boom and the or the furthermost auxiliary boom are so related to one another and to the dimensional characteristics of the vehicle that when other members of the articulated structure are in a retracted condition and the said auxiliary boom is in the angular movement quadrant between its retracted condition and a downwardly extended condition the load-supporting carrier which is pivotally attached thereto can be brought into coincidence with an entrance opening of the drivers cabin to provide a direct personnel transfer path between the cabin and the carrier, the relative arrangement of the load-supporting carrier and the drivers cabin preferably being such that in the personnel transfer position the load-supporting carrier is substantially wholly within the width of the vehicle.

The range of angular movement of the main boom may be such that from a horizontal position the boom can be swung upwardly through an angle greater than 90 and downwardly through an angle not less than that which will enable the or the furthermost auxiliary boom to move the load-supporting carrier to a level below that of the surface on which the vehicle stands.

The structural elements of the load-supporting carrier may be arranged so that they can be folded to reduce the size of the said carrier when it is not being used to support a load.

A winch may be mounted on the supporting base structure and adjacent the horizontal pivots of the articulated boom structure and the load-supporting carrier there may be freely rotatable pulleys arranged to accommodate a lifting rope leading from the said winch to a crane hook below the said carrier or the movable end of the main boom to provide that the main boom can be used as a crane jib and the or the furthermost auxiliary boom can be used as a fly jib.

A cradle may be provided on the roof of the drivers cabin into which cradle the boom structure can lower the load-supporting carrier to enable it to be anchored to prevent bouncing or swaying of the structure during transportation and at the same time reduce the overall length and height of the mobile unit to a minimum and remove all obstructions from the driver's field of vision.

The supporting base structure may be mounted on the free end of a parallelogram-type boom which is so carried by a support frame situated towards the front of the vehicle and behind the drivers cabin that it extends rearwardly and is capable of angular movement in a vertical plane to raise the level of the supporting base relative to the vehicle, the arrangement of the parallelogram-type boom being such that in its retracted condition it locates the supporting base structure towards the rear of the vehicle, and there may be a cradle extension of the vehicle to house the free end of the parallelogram-type boom when it is in a retracted condition and when it is not required to raise the supporting base structure to attain increased working height.

It is an advantage of a mobile machine according to the invention that the knuckle joint of the articulated boom structure is always at the same side of the vehicle as the position of work to be performed and is thus clear of the line of passing traffic.

It is also an advantage of a mobile machine according to the invention that, where access to a work position is impeded by an overhead obstruction, for example where the work position is on the far side of a run of telegraph wires and where access thereto is obstructed by power cables hung below the run of the telegraph wires, the knuckle joint of the articulated boom structure can be passed directly below the obstruction before the load-supporting carrier is elevated, thus obviating the need for a large clear area in which to swing articulated boom structures of conventional overcenter kind.

The invention will now be described by reference to the accompanying drawings in which;

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a two-boom mobile machine according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mobile machine shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is an end elevation of the mobile machine shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is an enlarged scrap view of the knuckle joint of the mobile machine shown in FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a side elevation showing the boom structure mounted on an alternative form of vehicle, and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic side elevation showing an alternative arrangement for supporting the boom structure from a vehicle.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the supporting base structure 11 of a mobile machine having a two-boom articulated structure is mounted towards the rear end of van l2 and above the level of the roof 13 thereof, the support pivot 14 which links the main boom 15 to the base structure being at a higher level than the roof 16 of the cabin I7 for the driver of the vehicle so that when the articulated boom structure is in a retracted condition with the main boom generally horizontal it can be slewed to lie over the front of the van with the knuckle joint 18 of the boom structure projecting in front of the driver's cabin, the main boom and the auxiliary boom 19 being of such relative lengths that when the former is slewed clear of the said cabin and when the latter is in the angular movement quadrant between its retracted condition and a downwardly extended condition the load-supporting carrier 20 can be positioned within the width of the vehicle so that it can be entered directly from a doorway of the said cabin.

The means for angularly moving the main boom about its pivot relative to the base structure is a hydraulic thruster unit 21 whereof the external terminations of the relatively movable parts are pivotally mounted respectively to pivot 22 of the supporting base structure and pivot 23 carried by the main boom, the said pivots being parallel to each other and to the support pivot 14, and the disposition of the said pivots and the arrangement of the said hydraulic thruster being such that from a horizontal position the main boom can be swung upwardly through an angle of 105 and downwardly through an angle of such downward movement providing that the said loadsupporting carrier can be moved by its pivotally associated auxiliary boom to a position below the level of the surface on which the van is standing.

The auxiliary boom is pivotally connected by knuckle pivo 24 to the main boom in such manner that its plane of angular movement relative to the main boom is parallel to the plane of angular movement of the main boom relative to the supporting base structure but is spaced therefrom at such a distance as will provide that the auxiliary boom and its associated loadsupporting carrier cam swing past the main boom without interference therewith.

The load-supporting carrier is pivotally attached to the end of the auxiliary boom remote from the knuckle joint by pivot 25.

The means for angularly moving the auxiliary boom about its pivot relative to the main boom is a second hydraulic thruster unit 26 whereof one external termination of the relatively movable parts is pivotally connected to pivot 27 supported by the main boom, and the other external termination is connected byv pivot 28 to complimentary ends of radius and control links 29 and 30 respectively the said links and the aid second hydraulic thruster unit all being pivotable relative to one another. The end of the radius link 29 which is remote from pivot 28 is pivotally connected to the main boom by pivot 31 at a position between support pivot 14 and knuckle pivot 24 and adjacent to the latter. The end of the control link 30 which is remote from pivot 28 is pivotally connected by pivot 32 (FIG. 4) to index plate 33 fixed to the auxiliary boom so as to be coaxial with knuckle pivot 24 which index plate has four pivot holes 34 equally spaced on a common pitch circle any of which holes may be used to house pivot 32, the pivots 27, 28, 31 and 32 and the four pivot holes of the index plate all being parallel to one another and to the knuckle pivot 24 and the positional relationship of the said pivots and the arrangement of the related hydraulic thruster unit and linkage being such as to provide that the said unit and linkage can cause the auxiliary boom to move angularly relative to the main boom through an arc of 180 or more, and the four pivot holes of the index plate providing that the arc of angular movement of the auxiliary boom as determined by the related thruster unit and linkage can be displaced relative to the main boom in increments of 90 by the repositioning of the pivot 32 in an adjacent pivot hole of the index plate. Near the knuckle pivot 24 the main boom has a locating socket 35 (FIG. 4) which at each of four predetermined positions of the auxiliary boom relative to the main boom, is coaxial with one of the pivot holes of the index plate to provide that a removable locking pin (not shown) inserted so as to engage both the socket and the associated pivot hole will lock the main and auxiliary booms against relative angular movement during repositioning of pivot 32 in the pivot holes of the index plate, the arrangement providing that the auxiliary boom can be swung through an angle of 360 relative to the main boom. It will be appreciated that the number of equally spaced pivot holes on the common pitch circle of the index plate may be two or more according to the angular extent of a preferred are of displacement of the auxiliary boom relative to the main boom.

The means for maintaining the load-supporting carrier in a horizontal position comprises a link 36 whereof one end is pivotally connected to the supporting base structure by pivot 37 that is parallel to but spaced apart from the support pivot 14, the other end of the said link being pivotally connected by pivot 38 to a bellcrank member 39 rotatably mounted on knuckle pivot 24, the pivots 37 and 38 being parallel to each other and to the support and knuckle pivots 14 and 24 and the positional arrangements of the pivots being such that the distance between pivots 37 and 38 is the same as the distance between support pivot 14 and knuckle pivot 24, and the distance between pivot 38 and knuckle pivot 24 is the same as the distance between pivot 37 and support pivot 14. Fixed to the bellcrank member and rotatable therewith is a chain sprocket 40 or pair of such sprockets the teeth of which engage the links of a chain or chains 41 arranged to drive a similar sprocket 42 or pair of such sprockets that are fixed to the load-supporting carrier so as to be rotatable therewith about pivot 25, the linkage and chain drive arrangements providing that the load-supporting carrier pivots angularly relative to the auxiliary boom by an amount equal and opposite to the sum of the angular movements of the two booms relative to the base-supporting structure.

In an alternative arrangement, the means for maintaining the load-supporting carrier in a horizontal position is in accordance with our British Pat. No. 971,789.

A winch 43 is mounted on the base'supporting structure, and on each of the support pivot 14, the knuckle pivot 24, and the carrier pivot 25 there is a freely rotatable pulley 44 to accommodate a lifting rope 45 leading from the winch to a crane hook 46 below the load-supporting carrier or the knuckle end of the main boom.

The side walls 47 of the load-supporting carrier are hinged so that they can be folded to reduce their overall height during transport.

A parking cradle 48 is provided on the roof of the drivers cabin to enable the load-supporting carrier to be firmly stowed during long-distance transport.

The van is provided with extensible jacks 49 to prevent swaying of the chassis on its suspension during operations involving the use of the articulated boom structure, and the interior of the van body is available for the storage and transportation of tools and fittings such as street lamps and associated apparatus.

In the embodiment shown in H6. 5, the structure according to the invention is mounted on a suitable pedestal 60 at the rear end of the floor 61 of an open truck 62 which provides transportation space for such items as telegraph poles or street-lighting lamp standards.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the structure according to the invention is mounted on the face end of a parallelogram-type boom 70 which is carried, so as to be capable of angular movement in a vertical plane, by a suitable support frame 71 from that part of the floor 72 of an open truck 73 immediately behind the drivers cabin 74, the said parallelogram boom extending rearwardly so that in a retracted condition the supporting base structure with its vertical pivot axis is carried towards the rear of the vehicle with the horizontal pivot connecting the main boom to the base-supporting structure situated at a higher level than the roof of the driver's cabin, such arrangement providing that additional working height can be achieved by raising the parallelogram-type boom, the free end of which rests in a cradle 75 when the additional working height is not required.

What is claimed is:

l. A mobile machine comprising a vehicle having a forwardly disposed cab for the driver and a rearwardly disposed body, a main boom having at its rear end a supporting base structure of such nature that it is swingably mounted on a generally vertical axis on the rear end of the body, means pivoting the main boom on said base structure so that in retracted position said main boom extends forwardly in the machine, an auxiliary boom pivotally mounted on the front end of the main boom, a load-supporting carrier pivotally mounted on said auxiliary boom, the pivot axes of said booms being parallel and extending transversely of the booms and the pivot axis between the booms being located forwardly on the machine when the main boom is substantially horizontal, means for swinging said main boom between a lower limit position where it extends below the horizontal at an acute angle to the horizontal and through the arc of more than 90 above the horizontal to an upper limit position, and mechanism including a fluid pressure thrust unit mounted on said main boom and connected by linkage to said auxiliary boom for angularly moving said auxiliary boom about its pivot on the main boom through an arc of at least about 180 in any position of the main boom,

2. A mobile machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary boom is movable to a retracted position where it lies adjacently parallel to one side of said main boom, and means is provided in the connection between said booms to provide so that said auxiliary boom has an available total angle of swing of 360 relative to said main boom.

3. A mobile machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means for angularly moving said auxiliary boom about its pivot relative to the adjacent main boom is connected to said auxiliary boom through the intermediary of indexing means whereby the arc of angular movement of the auxiliary boom determined by the said means can be selectively displaced relative to the said adjacent boom in predetermined increments.

4. A mobile machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lengths of the main boom and the auxiliary boom are so related to one another and to the dimensional characteristics of the vehicle that when the articulated structure is in the retracted condition and the said auxiliary boom is in the angular movement quadrant between its retracted condition and a downwardly extended condition the load-supporting carrier which is pivotally attached thereto can be brought into coincidence with the entrance opening of the drivers cabin to provide a direct personnel transfer path between the cabin and the carrier.

5. A mobile machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein the loadsupporting carrier is substantially wholly within the width of the vehicle when in the personnel transfer position.

6. A mobile machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pivot connecting the main boom to the supporting base structure is at a higher level than the roof of the cabin for the driver of the vehicle.

7. A mobile machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a winch is mounted on the supporting base structure, and adjacent the transverse pivots of the articulated boom structure and the loadsupporting carrier there are provided freely rotatable pulleys arranged to accommodate a lifting rope leading from the said winch to a crane hook below the said carrier or the movable end of the main boom to provide that the main boom can be used as a crane jib and the or the furthermost auxiliary boom can be used as a fly jib.

8. A mobile machine comprising a vehicle, a supporting base structure mounted on the vehicle roof for swinging about a vertical axis, a main boom having its rear end pivoted on said base structure, an auxiliary boom having its rear end-pivoted on the front end of the main boom, a load carrier movably mounted on the auxiliary boom, the pivot axes of the booms being parallel and disposed transversely of said booms, and means disposed between the main and auxiliary booms for angularly swinging said auxiliary boom relative to said main boom, said means including indexing means for presetting the main and auxiliary booms at one of a predetermined number of angularly displaced positions from each of which said auxiliary boom may be swunthrough an arc of at least about in operation.

9. The mobile machine defined in claim 8, wherein said indexing means comprises an index member connectable at a predetermined number of angularly disposed positions to a thrust transmitting connection between the booms. I

10. The mobile machine defined in claim 9, wherein said indexing member is a plate fixed to said auxiliary boom, a fluid pressure motor is mounted on the main boom, and said motor actuates a pivotal linkage connectable at any one of a predetermined number of angularly spaced points on said plate, 

1. A mobile machine comprising a vehicle having a forwardly disposed cab for the driver and a rearwardly disposed body, a main boom having at its rear end a supporting base structure of such nature that it is swingably mounted on a generally vertical axis on the rear end of the body, means pivoting the main boom on said base structure so that in retracted position said main boom extends forwardly in the machine, an auxiliary boom pivotally mounted on the front end of the main boom, a load-supporting carrier pivotally mounted on said auxiliary boom, the pivot axes of said booms being parallel and extending transversely of the booms and the pivot axis between the booms being located forwardly on the machine when the main boom is substantially horizontal, means for swinging said main boom between a lower limit position where it extends below the horizontal at an acute angle to the horizontal and through the arc of more than 90* above the horizontal to an upper limit position, and mechanism including a fluid pressure thrust unit mounted on said main boom and connected by linkage to said auxiliary boom for angularly moving said auxiliary boom about its pivot on the main boom through an arc of at least about 180* in any position of the main boom.
 2. A mobile machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary boom is movable to a retracted position where it lies adjacently parallel to one side of said main boom, and means is provided in the connection between said booms to provide so that said auxiliary boom has an available total angle of swing of 360* relative to said main boom.
 3. A mobile machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the means for angularly moving said auxiliary boom about its pivot relative to the adjacent main boom is connected to said auxiliary boom through the intermediary of indexing means whereby the arc of angular movement of the auxiliary boom determined by the said means can be selectively displaced relative to the said adjacent boom in predetermined increments.
 4. A mobile machine as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lengths of the main boom and the auxiliary boom are so related to one another and to the dimensional characteristics of the vehicle that when the articulated structure is in the retracted condition and the said auxiliary boom is in the angular movement quadrant between its retracted condition and a downwardly extended condition the load-supporting carrier which is pivotally attached thereto can be brought into coincidence with the entrance opening of the driver''s cabiN to provide a direct personnel transfer path between the cabin and the carrier.
 5. A mobile machine as claimed in claim 4, wherein the load-supporting carrier is substantially wholly within the width of the vehicle when in the personnel transfer position.
 6. A mobile machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pivot connecting the main boom to the supporting base structure is at a higher level than the roof of the cabin for the driver of the vehicle.
 7. A mobile machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein a winch is mounted on the supporting base structure, and adjacent the transverse pivots of the articulated boom structure and the load-supporting carrier there are provided freely rotatable pulleys arranged to accommodate a lifting rope leading from the said winch to a crane hook below the said carrier or the movable end of the main boom to provide that the main boom can be used as a crane jib and the or the furthermost auxiliary boom can be used as a fly jib.
 8. A mobile machine comprising a vehicle, a supporting base structure mounted on the vehicle roof for swinging about a vertical axis, a main boom having its rear end pivoted on said base structure, an auxiliary boom having its rear end pivoted on the front end of the main boom, a load carrier movably mounted on the auxiliary boom, the pivot axes of the booms being parallel and disposed transversely of said booms, and means disposed between the main and auxiliary booms for angularly swinging said auxiliary boom relative to said main boom, said means including indexing means for presetting the main and auxiliary booms at one of a predetermined number of angularly displaced positions from each of which said auxiliary boom may be swung through an arc of at least about 180* in operation.
 9. The mobile machine defined in claim 8, wherein said indexing means comprises an index member connectable at a predetermined number of angularly disposed positions to a thrust transmitting connection between the booms.
 10. The mobile machine defined in claim 9, wherein said indexing member is a plate fixed to said auxiliary boom, a fluid pressure motor is mounted on the main boom, and said motor actuates a pivotal linkage connectable at any one of a predetermined number of angularly spaced points on said plate. 